COMPUTER CASE: A Welcome Gift Reimagined

Prime Digital Academy is a place where innovation thrives. It offers an immersive Full Stack Engineering Program that prepares students to join the workforce as entry-level software engineers. Prime’s students embody what it means to be a full stack engineer; resilient, curious, driven and empathetic. The full stack students not only have a thirst for knowledge and passion for innovation, they are the architects of our digital future. 

I was given the opportunity to redesign a welcome gift incoming full stack students receive on their first day at Prime. Through research, designing, prototyping and evaluating, I have developed a meaningful substitute for the previous gift.

Understanding the Users

Prime’s full stack students share many things in common; a love for technology, a passion for learning and a drive to pursue a career in software engineering. They each have had their own unique journey to Prime and are looking for ways they can grow personally, professionally and build a deep connection to their new community. 

During my initial research phase, I spent time studying Prime’s full stack students' working environments on campus and at their homes, utilizing the AEIOU Framework for ethnographic observations. 

What I learned during my research:

The Problem with the Water Bottle

Prime has been gifting incoming full stack students with water bottles to welcome them to the Prime community. Although the welcome gift was appreciated as a gesture, many students later disclosed to staff that they felt the gift was “unusable” and “impersonal.” I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of what usability problems were present with the gifted water bottles, so I decided to conduct a heuristic analysis. 

I found that the water bottle did not function well in many ways. There were issues with the external straw, the lids locking mechanism, the quality of materials used, to name a few. It also had a very distinct style that was not related to Prime’s brand. I quickly understood why the full stack students felt the gift did not meet their needs.

External Straw

Water Bottle - BPA Free Plastic

Lid Lock

Ideation & Design

Design Concept: Computer Case

After identifying why the water bottle was not the ideal gift for Prime’s incoming full stack students. I spent time contemplating Prime’s values, the characteristics of Prime’s full stack students and the commonalities they had in their workspaces. I determined that a Prime branded computer case would be not only a fitting replacement for the water bottle, but a thoughtful solution. 

The primary user values that the computer case demonstrates for the full stack students are protection, mobility and connection to the Prime. 

Low Fidelity Physical Prototyping

I created the first iteration of my computer case design using cardboard, paper, glue and tape. The low fidelity design met my initial vision for the concept. It also was able to hold an actual 16 inch Mac laptop, which was exactly what I hoped for. I felt I was moving in the right direction with my design concept, but I wanted to get actual feedback from my target users, Prime’s full stack students.

Evaluation & Findings: Full Stack Students X Computer Case

With a low fidelity prototype of my computer case design concept ready, I conducted two 15-minute, in-person evaluatory interviews with current full stack students. I utilized the Value Opportunity Analysis (VOA) approach during the evaluations. I chose this method specifically because it centered the students' experience of my concept. It also offered a measurable way to predict the success or failure of the computer case by focusing on the user’s point of view. I went into the evaluatory interviews with 3 specific goals: 

  1. To better understand how full stack students may use this new concept for their laptops

  2. Gain insights around how this concept will enhance the incoming full stacks students' connection to Prime, Prime values & Prime community. 

  3. Identify any pain points around the design concept.

My findings…

I was incredibly pleased with the outcome of the two evaluations I conducted with the full stack students. Not only did both students say they would use the computer case, but they both reported that the concept would enhance their sense of belonging at Prime and it allowed them to show off their affiliation to the school as they transported their most important tool of creation around.

What I Learned

Explain, explain, explain…

During my two interviews with full stack students, I followed a script to ensure consistency between the two evaluations. As the students interacted with my low fidelity prototype of the computer case, I was asked about products used for the prototype (cardboard and glue, predominantly) and if this would be the final result multiple times. It ended up slowing down the interviews substantially and I found I needed to regularly repeat myself that this was only a low fidelity prototype and a finished product would be made with different materials like nylon and velcro. After the interviews, I realized that although the full stack students and I both attend Prime, we may have a different understanding of the term “low fidelity” in our respective programs. Moving forward, I will be explaining in greater detail what level of fidelity my product is to the people I conduct evaluatory interviews with for both physical and digital products and how that may impact usability for the user.

Research Methods

After selecting my research method for this design concept I learned that it is okay to tailor established research methods to my specific needs. As a new UXer, my initial pull is to follow methods I read about to their exact specifications, despite parts of those methods not being aligned with the information I am seeking to learn. For example, I was initially going to try to complete a full VOA with all seven opportunity values and their subcategories. Obviously, in 15-minutes this was a lofty goal. I ended up reflecting on my 3 evaluation goals and choosing only the value opportunities and subcategories that actually related to what I was seeking to know. Moving forward, I will be less worried about the ways in which I am deviating from established research methods and more focused on how I can extract the most useful information from user evaluation interviews that can instruct how I refine a design and better meet user goals.

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